2013

Arlington County Government

Arlington Virginia

Barbara Donnellan, County Manager

Raul Torres, Esq.

Asst. County Manager

Office of the County Manager

Human Rights & EEO

Affirmative Action Plan For Minorities, Females & Individuals with

Disabilities Fiscal Year 2013

2

Table of Contents

I. Introduction …………………………………….…………………………………...3

II. Responsibility for Implementation …….…………………………………................3

III. Workforce Analysis & Organizational Profile……………..………………………..4

IV. AAP Year Review of Personnel Actions …………...……………………………….6

Conclusion from Employment Data…………………………………………………9

General Recommendations………………………………………………………….10

V. Job Group Analysis…..……………………………………………………………...11

VI. Tables ……………………………………………………………………………….12

Table 1- Placement Goals….......................................................................................12

Table 2 -Five Year Diversity Goals (Estimate)………………………......................13

Table 3 -Promotional achievements and Expectations………… …………………...14

VII. Availability Analysis………………………………………………………………...15

VIII. Program Strategies for Special Focus Recruitment Efforts…………….…………....16

IX. Identification of Barriers & Problem Areas……….………….....….……....………..17

Addressing Barriers…………………………………………………………………..17

X. Strategies to Achieve Affirmative Action Goals…………….……………………….18

XI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………....19

XII. Appendix……………………………………………………………………………..20

3

I. Introduction A.R. 2.9 § 2

The data analysis provided in this plan is based on information obtained from several

sources, including the Arlington County Department of Human Resources and the U.S.

Census Bureau. The analysis is based on data available as of June 30, 2012.

In the preparation of this Affirmative Action Plan (AAP), the Office of Human Rights used

as a guide the County’s Equal Opportunity Policy adopted by the Arlington County Board on

June 24, 1995, Arlington County’s Administrative Regulation 2.9, and federal guidelines

issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 29 CFR, Chapter

1608. The goals adopted in this plan are only reasonable targets that can be attained by good

faith efforts applied through its implementation. These goals are not quotas and are not

intended to discriminate against an individual otherwise qualified for an employment

opportunity.

In developing this affirmative action plan the County performed three different data analyses:

a workforce utilization analysis, a job group analysis and an availability analysis. These

analyses were done by job group.

The analysis of employment data shows a commitment to equal employment opportunity.

The data does not show evidence of systemic discriminatory employment practices.

II. Responsibility for Implementation

The County Manager has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Equal

Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan (AAP). The County Manager has

assigned primary management responsibility for ensuring full compliance with the program

to the Assistant County Manager for Human Rights & EEO. The Assistant County Manager

develops policy statements and internal and external communications to ensure an efficient

and positive plan implementation. The recruitment and hiring responsibility belongs to the

Director of Human Resources. The County Manager actively supports the AAP and provides

assistance whenever needed. Department directors and managers are accountable for its

implementation.

4

III. Workforce Analysis

The Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) covers all Arlington County Government Employees.

Pursuant to A.R. 2.9 § 3.3 employees in Constitutional Offices are included in the analysis.

Arlington County is a local government committed by its vision statement to diversity and

inclusiveness.

A. Composition and Analysis of the Workforce A.R. 2.9 § 3.3

As of June 30, 2012, the workforce had 3,294 employees of which 1,626 (49.36%) were

minorities. When further divided by gender, the workforce had a composition of 1,488

(45.17%) females and 1,806 (54.83%) males. All females were analyzed as a minority

group.1

In FY 2012 the County hired 279 new employees of which 107 (38.35%) were minorities, 172

(61.65%) were non-minorities and135 were females (48.39%). There was a decrease of 72

employees in the County total workforce from the previous fiscal year (2.14%). There was also

a decrease of 50 minority employees (1.52%) within the County workforce from the last fiscal

year. 2

Additions to the Workforce During FY 2012

New Hires

1 See the Workforce demographic profile at page 5. 2 There were 1,676 minorities in the workforce during the previous fiscal year from a total of 3,366 employees. According to the US Census by 2040 half of the available workers in the US will be minorities.

GENDER Amer. Ind. Asian Black Hispanic Pac. Is. Whites Hires

Males

12 24 16

92 144

Females 1 6 27 20 1 80 135

Totals 1 18 51 36 1 172 279

Females 0.36% 2.15% 9.68% 7.17% 0.36% 28.67% 48.39%

Males 0.00% 4.30% 8.60% 5.73% 0.00% 32.97% 51.61%

Totals % Hires 0.36% 6.45% 18.28% 12.90% 0.36% 61.65% 100.00%

5

ARLINGTON COUNTY WORKFORCE & DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS 2012-2013

Workforce

Demographics

FY 2012

American

Indian/Alaska

Native

Asian Black Hispanic Female

(of All Races)

Non-Min

White

Total Minorities

Representation*

Total Workforce

3,294

2

237***

915

472

1,488**

1,668

1,626

Percentages of

Workforce

(By Group)

.06

7.2

27.7

14.3

45.2**

50.6

49.4

Percentage of

Population

(2010 US Census)

.05

9.6

8.2

15.8

50.2

65.1

34.9 3

County Supervisors

699**

0

25

133

42

252

499

200

Percentage of

Supervisors by Group

0

3.6

19.0

6.0

36.0

71.4

28.6

The actual workforce was compared to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau report on estimated

availability.4 The result of these analyses determines underutilization by job group, if any, and

the need to establish placement goals pursuant to Administrative Regulation 2.9 §3.4-5.

Underutilization was established based on U.S. Census population data of the qualified

workforce and the application of a two standard deviation test. There are fifteen job groups in

Arlington County’s AAP as established by the regulation.

3 Census data for County population of two or more races is included in this percentage.

* Aggregate includes American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics. Non-minority females are not included in the count.

**Females exceed their employment availability within the County Government workforce in 12 of the 15 AAP job groups. Female AAP

goals were established for the job groups of Police, Fire, and Trade Occupations. ***Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander employees (a total of 8 employees from that group) were included in this count for the purpose of the

analysis.

4 Corresponding final availability report from the Census will not be ready until the summer of 2013.

6

IV. AAP Year Review of Personnel Actions

Personnel actions were analyzed to identify any impediment to equal employment

opportunities. These actions included applications received and screened for employment,

hiring, promotions, terminations, employment offers, compensation and disability

accommodations.

The most recent Census estimate reveals that minorities represent 34.9% and females 50% of

the County’s population. The AAP analysis revealed that minorities are hired at an overall

rate of 38.35% and females are hired at an overall rate of 48.39%.

A. Applications for Employment

Arlington County posted all vacancies on the intranet and the County web site. All persons

interested in applying for a job with Arlington County were advised to use the County’s

application process.

During the plan year, a total of 52,1935 applications for jobs were received and 15,035 were

considered as qualified. The applicant flow, as a whole, is not an area of concern for Blacks,

Asians or females.

The analysis of qualified applicants and hires was performed by race/ethnicity and gender.

The results of this analysis indicated an adverse impact in the selections from the pool of

qualified applicants.

B. Hires

Arlington County hired 279 individuals in fiscal year 2012. These include 107 minorities

(38.35%), 135 females (48.39 %) and 172 (61.6%) non-minority hires. Minorities constituted

38% of the total hires in FY 2012 as opposed to 51% in FY 2011.6 Non-minority hires went

up from 49% in FY 2011 to 62% in FY 2012.

The Fire Department hires were 40% minority. Of the new hires 10% were Asian, 13.4%

were Black and 16.6% were Hispanic.7 Fire met its hiring 2012 AAP goal.

The Police Department hires were 34.2% minorities and 27.6% females. The goal was to hire

30.6% minority and 20.3% female. The Police also met its 2012 AAP hiring goal.

5 There were 5,275 (10.1%) Hispanic applicants during FY 2012 and 1,372(9.1%) were coded as qualified. 6 There were 25 fewer minority hires this year than the previous year. 7 The goal was to hire 27.75% minorities.

7

C. Employment Offers

During the plan year the county made 565 offers. Minorities received (246) 43.5%, females

(253) 44.8% and non-minorities (319) 56.5% of the offers. The County hired 279

individuals during this period.

D. Promotion Practices

Minorities did not achieve the expected AAP promotional goals in FY 2012. However, this

year’s efforts showed improvements. (See table 3 at page 14)

A review of promotion data indicates that these practices represent an area of substantial

employment opportunity for minorities and female employees. In this regard, the offering

of training and other developmental opportunities is crucial for the advancement of

minorities. There are several long-term certificate programs available to employees. County

training classes are designed to enhance employee growth and development, increase or

enhance current job skills and are focused on preparing employees for positions of greater

responsibility. In FY 2012, 118 employees participated in leadership development

programs. Of these, 62 (53%) were minorities. A total of 15 program participants were

promoted (12.7%). Of the 62 minority participants 7 (11%) were promoted. Of the 56 non-

minority participants, 8 (14%) were promoted. Eight (8) of the 15 participants promoted

were female (53%) of which 4 were minorities.

E. Compensation System

Alternative pay programs and County regular pay scales (grade/step) were examined using

the data provided by HR to determine if there was an adverse impact on minorities.8 Data

from all pay programs revealed that in 11 of the 15 AAP job groups, the salary mean for

minorities is lower than that of the non-minorities. The analysis also revealed that in 105 of

the 534 County job title/classifications in use, where there is minority and non-minority

incumbents, the salary mean of the minorities is lower than the salary mean of the non-

minorities. In over 200 job pay/classifications of the 534 in use there were no minority

incumbents. There were 239 job title/classifications with a single incumbent. In 68% of them

the single incumbent was a non-minority. (See table on page 8).

Further analysis is needed to identify the factors that influence compensation, which may

justify salary differentials, based on neutral job related reasons such as tenure, length of time

in position, education, and performance, scope of assignment and skills and experience.

8 HR department informs that 78% of County employees are in the grade/step system in which employees move from step-to-step based on

acceptable performance.

8

COMPENSATION SUMMARY CHART BY JOB GROUPS (See Appendix for job Groups)

RACE /ETHNICITY

Annualized Mean Compensation Includes Only Job Groups with Disparities for Minorities in Positions with Annualized Differentials of

$1,700.00 or More

Job Groups

GENDER COMPENSATION SUMMARY CHART BY JOB GROUPS

Annualized Mean Compensation Includes Only Job Groups with Disparities for Females in Positions with Annualized Differentials of

$1,700.00 or More

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Tho

usa

nd

s

Job Group

Minority Mean

Majority Mean

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Job Group

Non Fem Mean

Females Mean

9

F. Separations

In FY 2012, resignations, retirements and AWOLs accounted for 87.3% of the separations.9

Excluding 7 deaths (2.4%) there were 29 (8.3%) involuntary separations in FY 2012. Of

these, 22 (75.9%) were minorities and 7(24.1%) were non-minorities. Involuntary

separations include dismissals, separations during probation or trainee periods and layoffs.

Further analysis revealed that involuntary terminations were made for legitimate business

reasons such as rule violations and behavioral issues. None of which can be correlated to

discriminatory treatment of minorities.

G. Individuals with disabilities

There were 15 requests for reasonable accommodations granted to employees (6) and

applicants for employment (9) in FY 2012. The employment application process, with its

accommodation component, results in a nondiscriminatory process for employment

applicants with disabilities. No applicants were denied reasonable accommodations to

participate in the application process. The County also provides reasonable accommodations

for employees who need them to perform the essential function of their jobs.

There were no new hires who self-identified as disabled during this period. When offering

employment or a promotion to persons with disabilities, Arlington County does not deduct

disability income or cost of an accommodation from the employees’ compensation.

H. Inferences from employment data analysis

1. The Fire Department achieved its 2012 Affirmative Action Goals. The Fire Department

made hires and promotions that favorably impacted the composition of the Fire Department’s

workforce.

2. The Police Department has been making significant improvements impacting their goals

by increasing the number of minority and female sworn officers.

3. The representation of females in the County’s workforce exceeded its availability in the

job market in 12 out of the 15 job groups.

4. The representation of Blacks in the County’s workforce exceeded its availability in the job

market in 10 out of the 15 job groups.

5. DES was successful in the outreach/recruitment efforts for Trades positions as evidenced

by the hiring of two females into Trades positions. The County still needs to increase the

representation of females in trade occupations where there is underrepresentation.

6. The County continues to achieve and make progress in its affirmative action objectives.

9 During this period 293 employees left the County.

10

General Recommendations:

1. From the data analyzed, it follows that additional efforts should be made to recruit,

develop and retain underrepresented employees. (See Table I at page 12).

2. A barrier analysis is needed for identification and removal of employment barriers.

3. More effective outreach programs could be beneficial to recruit minorities in difficult to

hire areas.

4. During the recruitment process, Human Resources should flag the position titles where the

AAP goals are established to alert and provide the hiring source an opportunity to be better

informed before the selection process is completed.

5. Hiring managers should be made aware of the AAP employment goals prior to selections.

Interviews panels should reflect diversity.

6. Compensation practices by job group require a thorough review to ensure that practices in

place are fair to all employees.

7. Departments Directors should continue to be accountable to the County Manager for their

efforts in diversifying their department’s workforce.

8. The recruitment of minorities continues to be a challenge in certain job groups and for

certain protected classes. Among the job groups the County needs to focus its efforts in the

job groups of Executives, Senior Administrators and Professionals, Information Technology

Specialist, Trades and Public Safety (See Table I at page 12).

11

V. JOB GROUP ANALYSIS

A.R. 2.9 § 2.1 (III.)

We have conducted a job group analysis, as a diagnostic component derived from the

Workforce Analysis report, to further identify issues of incumbency and opportunities for

more representation of minorities.

The job group analysis is the first step in comparing the representation of minorities and

women in the County workforce covered by this AAP, against the estimate of the available

qualified minorities and women who could be employed by Arlington County Government.

Our goal and objective for every Job Group, whether, “underutilized” or not, is to ensure that

our policies and practices, provide equal employment opportunity and when possible,

achieve the populations demographic representation.

The County Administrative Regulation 2.9 establishes 15 job group categories for

affirmative action purpose. (See Appendix) The analysis identified the 15 job groups in A.R.

2.9., the job titles that comprise each job group, the percentage of minority incumbents and

the percentage of female incumbents in each job group.

The job categories where the analysis revealed achievements or the need for additional

affirmative action efforts are detailed in Table I and II. (See pages 12-13)

Other job categories as determined by the utilization analysis and any other areas of

underutilization are not statistically significant and the hiring objectives are for maintenance

of workforce balance and achievement.

12

VI. TABLES

Table 1 – PLACEMENT GOALS

JOB GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS WHERE REPRESENTATION

IS LOWER THAN AVAILABLE IN THE AREA JOB MARKET

A.R. 2.9 § 3.5

(With a Deviation of Statistical Significance)

Job Group Name Employment

Percentage %

Min & Females

Employment

Goals

FY 201310

Group for

Employment

Goals

Executives/Officials11

& Senior

Administrators

Min 17.89%

27.5%

Black

Hispanic

Professionals

Min 40.0%

31.74%

Asian

Hispanic

Firefighters/EMS

Min 28.3%

Fem 8.78%

24.33%

15.50%

Black

Hispanic &

Female

Librarian

Min 16.21%

14.28%

Asian

Black

Hispanic

Information Technology

Specialist 12

Min 46.77%

8.06%

Hispanic

Police13

Min 23.13%

Fem 20.9%

35.5%

24.3%

Asian, Hispanic

& Female

Police

Sub-Group:

Police Supervisors

Min 23.28%

Fem 16.44%

28.22%

8.0%

Black, Hispanic &

Fem

Planners

Min 23.52%

13.0%

Black & Hispanic

Trade Workers14

Fem 3.00%

25%

Females

10

Employment goals are achieved by hiring the desired percentages of the affected class into the job groups with goals at every opportunity to

hire. Goals are established after an analysis of the availability based on data provided by the Census. 11 The minority goal in this job group is at the level of departmental Deputies, Division Chiefs, Bureau Chiefs & first level Managers. Representation of females is 52% at this level. 12

There are no Hispanic employees in this job group. 13

Police lost female officers this year. 14 The pool of applicants for the vacancies reveals the absence of an adequate number of female applicants for candidate selections. When qualified females applied they were selected. DES hired in 2012 several females into this job group.

13

DIVERSITY TARGETED 5 YEAR COUNTYWIDE GOALS BY JOB/GROUP

POSITION TITLE (2012-2016)

Table 2

Position/Titles in Job Group Departments Group

Staff Level in FY-2007

Staff Level in FY-2008

Staff Level in FY-2009

Staff Level in FY-2010

Base Year Staff Level

in FY2011

Staff Level

In FY 2012

Targeted 5 Year Goals by Job

Group/Position Title

FY2016

Firefighters/EMS Total Incumbents -205

Fire Department Asian Black Hispanics Females

4 37 10 17

4 35 13 17

4 38 10 18

3 37 13 19

3 34 12 18

6 35 17 18

6 40 27 33

Human Resources/OD Specialist/Sr. HR Mgmt. Spec. Total Incumbents - 29

Human Resources (Countywide)

Hispanics

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

Librarians Total Incumbents - 37

Libraries Asian Black Hispanic

1 3 3

1 3 3

2 3 3

1 2 3

1 2 3

1 2 3

3 5 6

Staff &Mgmt. Budget Spec Total Incumbents- 25

Countywide: DES/DHS/DPR/DMF

Hispanic

0

0

0

0

0

1 DES Hire

4

Engineer I-IV, Engineering Design Total Incumbents -13

Department of Environmental Services

Asian Hispanic

6 0

6 0

6 0

6 1

3 1

3 0

6 3

Engineering Tech II-IV Total Incumbents - 19

Department of Environmental Services

Asian Black Hispanic

1 10 3

1 5 2

2 6 3

2 4 3

2 5 3

2 6 2

3 6 5

Planners Total Incumbent- 44

Community Planning, Housing & Development

Asian Black Hispanic

1 10 3

1 9 3

1 9 4

1 5 3

2 10 2

2 10 1

3 11 5

Planners Total Incumbent- 23

Department of Environmental Services

Asian Black Hispanic Females

2 2 1 10

1 3 1 9

1 2 1 13

1 2 1 13

1 3 1 13

1 1 1 10

2 3 3 14

Police Corporal, Police Office I&II Total Incumbents-281

Police Department Asian Black Hispanic Females

7 28 27 56

8 34 27 55

7 28 27 52

10 29 24 51

13 29 23 58

13 29 23 54

22 33 44 68

Facilities Maintenance Mechanics, Machinist, Motorized Vehicle Operator, Printer, Plumber, Sr. Trade Workers, Control Systems Technicians, Traffic Signal Field Technician, Multi-Skilled, Trades Worker, Delivery Driver, WSS Technicians, Wastewater Technicians Total incumbents-300

Department of Environmental Services

Females

9

6

6

7

7

9

18

14

Table 3

RACE/ETHNICITY GROUPS by PERCENTAGE COUNTY PROMOTIONAL

ACHIEVEMENT AND STATISTICAL EXPECTATIONS*

Based on Availability of Candidates Applying or Available for Promotions**

Fiscal Year 2012

*Expectations are established after conducting a statistical analysis of the Census demographic data and the internal workforce

availability.

** 41.3% of all the promotions occurred in Public Safety (the Fire and Police departments). 22% of their promotions were into

supervisory levels. The highest level of promotions occurred in the Fire Department with promotions into the ranks of Captain

and Battalion Chief. 24.1% of all the promotions occurred in the Department of Environmental Services (DES) and in the

Department of Human Services (DHS). Of the promotions under the jurisdiction of the County Manager 30.97% were into

supervisory levels.

GROUP ACHIEVEMENT *EXPECTATION

American Indian

.37%

0

Asian

4.85%

7.1%

Black

21.26%

28.6%

Hispanic

11.5%

13.9%

Non-Minority

57%

15

VII. AVAILABILITY ANALYSIS

A.R. 2.9(2.1) (II.)

The availability analysis under A.R. 2.9 takes into account the relevant labor markets from

which applicants for County positions can be expected to apply and the current incumbency vs.

the estimated availability in the market as indicated by the US Census data. The purpose of the

availability analysis is to establish a benchmark against which the demographic composition of

the County workforce may be compared to determine whether barriers to equal employment

opportunity may exist.

An analysis of the patterns of hiring and promotions from the available employment data, for

each of the 15 job groups was done. The proportion of employees who entered the county job

groups directly as external hires and the proportion that entered the job groups through internal

promotions were established. Where a job group had different job titles that carried different

availability rates, we calculated a composite availability figure. We arrived at the composite

availability figure by determining the proportion of the job group incumbents employed in

each job title, weighting the availability for each job title by the proportion of incumbents

employed in that title, and adding together the weighted availability estimates.

The availability data was developed separately for minorities and women. For each job group

the analysis examines two potential areas of availability: individuals with the requisite skills

outside the County government workforce (external availability) and those within the

Arlington County government who could be promoted (internal availability). In determining

availability, we selected a reasonable recruitment area and County pool of promotions during

the fiscal year. Human resources provided the areas where recruitment efforts were made and

candidates sought.

For the purpose of determining external availability, the United States was defined as the

recruitment area for those job groups with a national recruitment effort and the Washington,

DC-MD-VA for those job groups with a local recruitment area.15

The source for the above

statistics is the United States Department of Commerce 2000 Census and updates from the

2010 as released by the US Census Bureau.

The County conducted a “Two Factor Analysis” of the Recruitment Pools for Every Job Group

and concluded that, with the exception of Hispanics in some jobs, all groups were properly

represented in the applicant pool.

15

Washington Metro Area includes District of Columbia; Calvert County, MD; Charles County, MD; Frederick County, MD; Montgomery

County, MD; Prince George’s County, MD; Arlington County, VA; Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, Clarke, Warren Counties, VA; Loudon County, VA; Prince William County, Manassas County, Manassas City, VA; Spotsylvania County, VA; Stafford County, VA;

Alexandria City, VA; Fairfax City, Falls Church City, VA; Fredericksburg City, VA. In some cases pools were extended to Pennsylvania, West

Virginia and New Jersey in particular for firefighter applicants.

16

VIII. PROGRAM STRATEGIES FOR SPECIAL FOCUS RECRUITMENT EFFORTS

A.R. 2.9 § 2.1

Where there is an opportunity to hire or promote a minority or female in any of the job groups,

in which goals exist, departments are being advised to consider for hire qualified minorities

and/or females.

The County offers Mandatory EEO/AA and ADA awareness classes for managers and non-

manager employees. It is a one day session program for managers and a half-day for non-

supervisory employees. All county employees were required to attend these classes and

complete an ADA web based program, which continues to be mandatory for new-hires.

a. When and where there are opportunities to hire or promote minorities underrepresented

in any of the job groups where the incumbency is lower than the availability, HR and

the County departments should focus their recruitment efforts to close these

representation gaps.

b. The composition of interview and selection panels should be diverse.

c. Every Department head is accountable for the County’s affirmative action plan goals.

Department directors will consider their supervisors’ and managers’ efforts towards

achieving these goals as part of their annual performance evaluation criteria.

Persons with Disabilities

The recruitment of persons with disabilities continues to present a challenge. The 2000

Census indicates that persons with disabilities represent 15.5% of Arlington’s population

(data from Census 2010 on this subject is not final). The County realizes that investing in

programs to improve and promote the employment of persons with disabilities is in the best

interest and well-being of the community, persons with disabilities and the County’s vision

for the future.

17

IX. IDENTIFICATION OF BARRIERS & PROBLEM AREAS A.R. 2.9 § 3.4

We have conducted in-depth analyses of the employment process, including the workforce by

departments and job group and personnel actions, and compensation to the extent of the

information available from Human Resources, to determine whether there were impediments to

equal employment opportunity.

The absence of a dedicated diversity recruitment strategy may be a barrier that limits

the County ability to reach its AAP goals.

Narrow recruitment methods may be impacting the pool of qualified applicants.

Accountability on managers and supervisors for the achievement of goals is necessary.

Diversity in the interview and selection panels must be monitored.

Complexity of the applicant flow and inconsistency in the recordkeeping, in a

decentralized environment, limits the ability to monitor and engage in meeting AAP

goals.

A. Issues Regarding AAP in the Composition of the Workforce

The results of all the AAP tests indicate that some areas require effort, monitoring,

commitment and more accountability in order for the goals to be achieved.

B. Addressing the Barriers

The County has established placement goals and outreach activities to address employment

underutilization, and will continue to make good faith efforts to reach these goals and

implement the action-oriented programs detailed in this AAP. The County should dedicate

resources to the outreach of underrepresented groups and the diversity function in HR in order

to improve the outcomes.

Opportunities to promote minorities require a commitment to current County employees. The

County departments should be attentive in providing minority employees with opportunities to

develop skills, close the gap between skills, experience, and the job requirement of higher level

positions to achieve readiness for promotional opportunities as they occur. This could be

achieved through special assignments and professional activities designed to develop skills or

on the job experience needed for the next level. Developing career ladders and succession

plans for promotions that take into account minority employees will encourage retention,

higher levels of productivity, employee loyalty and professional enthusiasm.

The recording and tracking of applicants requires users to maintain an accurate system. The

County should be able to track applicants, candidates being interviewed, considered and

selected, uniformly, by applying a consistent methodology and system.

18

X. STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION GOALS

The Office of Human Rights and EEO (OHR) shared with the departments their respective

goals and the challenges they all have in hiring within the groups where AAP goals exist.

Providing equal employment opportunity and equality requires an ongoing effort. To assist

the departments, the recommendations below are presented in the AAP as part of a general

strategy.

General Strategies:

a. We ask departments to develop an implementation plan to address the AAP goals.

Success results were evident with this strategy in Fire and Police during FY 2012.

b. Implement a global recruitment strategy which may include using internet job

distribution sites and social networks sites to attract candidates.

c. Develop strategic plan to implement the Affirmative Action Plan goals for

underrepresented groups in professional occupations.

d. Communicate the AAP goals to persons responsible for the recruitment activity

and the hiring action.

e. In times of reduced opportunities to recruit, as departments target the selections for

qualified hires, they need to ensure that the fairest opportunities are imparted

during the process in order to achieve the AAP goals of the County.

f. Continually train interview panels on equal employment opportunity issues and the

AAP goals prior to recruitment.

g. Ensure that selecting managers and panels are aware of the AAP employment

goals prior to selection activities.

h. Department heads commit and communicate the commitment throughout the

department.

i. Implement training and cross training for the development of skills in different

areas and functions within the departments as a way to prepare minorities for

advancement.

j. Use programs such as Leaders Challenge for developing the skills needed for the

advancement of minorities.

k. Mentoring.

19

XI. CONCLUSION

Through its Assistant County Manager for Human Rights and EEO, the County will continue

to communicate its policies, both within the organization and to the community. The County

Manager delegated to the Assistant County Manager for Human Rights and EEO, authority

to take action to implement the Plan and to pursue solutions to problems that might encumber

the progress of this Plan. The demographics of the County Government workforce still

indicate a strong presence of equal opportunity and commitment towards affirmative action.

This AAP will remain in effect, with its goals and strategic programs, beyond the end of the

fiscal year until a revision to the plan is made or a new plan is issued. Arlington County

Government is ready and willing to make affirmative action both a commitment and a

continued reality.

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XII. APPENDIX - (A.R. 2.9)

D E F I N I T I O N S

AAP Job Groups

AAP Category

1 Executives /Officials & Senior Administrators – the most senior management

level in the County with responsibility for directing departments, divisions or

bureaus (or similar organizational units), for county management, and/or executive

level policy implementation.

2 Professionals – positions requiring Bachelor’s or higher level degree or equivalent

experience with responsibility for engaging in the practice of a profession not

specifically defined elsewhere. Manage diverse programs. Positions may also

supervise others but do not include bureau chief or higher level positions in the

field.

3 Librarians – positions normally requiring a Master’s degree in library science or

equivalent experience with responsibility for professional research, reference,

readers’ advisory, collection maintenance, selection, acquisition, program

management and/or other related functions in a library setting. Positions may also

supervise other professional librarians but do not include bureau chief or higher

level positions in the field.

4 Information Technology Specialists – positions normally requiring a Bachelor’s

degree or equivalent experience responsible for programming functions develop

applications; coordinate systems operations, computer information systems,

databases and/or networks; and/or customize utility programs and software.

Positions may also supervise other information technology specialists but do not

include bureau chief or higher level positions in the field.

5 Planners – positions requiring a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience with

responsibility to coordinate, develop, document, present, administer and/or

facilitate implementation of community, facility, housing, land use and/or facility

planning, and/or economic development initiatives. Positions may also supervise

other planners but do not include bureau chief or higher level positions in the field.

6 Social Workers and Case Managers – positions requiring a Bachelor’s or higher

level degree or equivalent experience with responsibility to provide social,

eligibility, psycho-social, therapeutic, probation supervision, case management

and/or other related services for a wide array of clients. Positions typically conduct

intake, identify eligibility, facilitate services, provide services and/or monitor and

assess client progress. Positions may also supervise other social workers or case

managers but do not include bureau chief or higher level positions in the field.

7 Parks & Recreation Workers – positions that program and conduct recreation

activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies, recreation, or nature

facilities. Includes Recreation Assistants and PRCR Programmers. Positions

typically organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games,

music, dramatics, social recreation, nature awareness and conservation, camping,

and/or hobbies. Monitors or manages recreational areas, such as pools and parks to

provide assistance and protection to participants. Positions may supervise

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AAP Category

instructors and assistant coaches, but do not typically supervise permanent County

employees.

8 Technicians & Paraprofessionals – positions requiring technical experience,

training or skill in a specialized field (normally not requiring a Bachelor‘s degree)

with responsibility for the application of theories and principles of a specific

discipline or field of expertise and/or the provision of support to professionals in a

field of expertise.

9 Administrative and Services Support – positions providing reception, clerical,

account, records, purchasing, supply, inventory and other related support functions.

May also perform training, coordination and supervisory functions to support staff.

10 Mechanic/Skilled Trades Occupations – positions requiring specialized training

and/or certifications in the performance of specialized craft or mechanic functions.

Positions also include those with responsibility for trade operations supervision.

11 Trades Workers/Motor Vehicle Operators – positions that perform laborer,

maintenance and/or driving functions in a variety of trade settings. Does not

include supervisory positions.

12 Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians – positions that control and

extinguish fires and respond to emergency situations where life, property, and/or

the environment are at risk. Duties may include fire suppression, fire prevention,

fire investigation, emergency medical services, hazardous material response, search

and rescue, and/or disaster management. Positions may also supervise other fire

fighter/emergency medical technicians but do not include division chief or higher

level positions in the field.

13 Police Officers – positions that maintain order, enforce laws and ordinances, and

protect life and property in an assigned patrol district. Duties may include a

combination of the following duties: patrols a specific area, directs traffic, issues

traffic summonses, investigates crimes and accidents, responds to incidents as

directed, and apprehends and arrests suspects. Positions may also supervise other

police officers but do not include division chief or higher level positions in the

field.

14 Correctional Officers – positions include Sheriff Office officers and deputies.

Guards inmates in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May

guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes

deputy sheriffs who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in a

detention facility. Maintains law and order in the courtroom and serves legal

processes. Positions may also supervise other correctional officers but do not

include division chief or higher level positions in the field.

15 Other Protective Service – positions that are not members of the sworn public

safety staff but perform protective services such as: patrols public buildings and

parking lots; issues tickets to parking violators; guides or controls vehicular or

pedestrian traffic; and/or receives emergency calls and dispatches appropriate

emergency responders. Positions may also supervise others but do not include

division chief or higher level positions in the field.